#buffyverse thoughts

[laufire]

BTVS season 7 for the Reverse Unpopular Opinion meme

It's a difficult question because the thing about season 7 is that distance makes you more aware of its flaws. And it has plenty, especially because at many points it seems... indecisive, which I would've never said of any of the show's previous seasons, nor about any of Angel's. About every season includes writing choices that make me dubious or even furious, but I always feel I know what they're getting at and for the most part, it lands. I can respect that. Season 7 gets messy, in a bad way, in that regard.

But hey, this post is meant to be about the positive aspects LOL.

I still love Buffy in it just as deeply. That final scene with her is the Buffyverse in a nutshell, to me.

I also love Dawn in it, and her relationship with Buffy, in all its aspects. Dawn threatening Spike is also one of my favourite moments in the show and one of a handful scenes with him I'd say I truly enjoyed this season.

I really like Kennedy. I liked her the first time watching it and I liked her even more the one time I rewatched. I appreciate that she has fight in her, that she doesn't fall in line easily, that she adds tension.

And just like I liked Kennedy, I liked... Wennedy? No, it's not Tillow. It's not meant to be. Frankly, if I had been given a chance to write Willow in another relationship in season 7 myself, I would've jumped at the chance to write Fillow, what with Faith coming back and all. I saw the Vision back in season 3 lol. But I like what Wennedy brought to the table.

I also enjoyed everything pertaining Faith's return, period. Even narrative choices I might've been iffy about worked because Dusku always carried her so well.

In general, although everything else on the Plot front was dubious, and the execution wasn't always perfect, I loved what they did regarding the Slayer mythos.

Robin Wood was neat. Nikki Wood was incredible.

I remember Anya looked damn fine in those flashbacks.

send topics and instead of salt or hot takes, you MUST talk abt smth you like about it

[claddagh-and-key]

I’ve been thinking about IWRY because of the 25th anniversary and a thought occurred to me and now I really want to see what anyone else thinks about it ...

Had Buffy not been in L.A. when Angel’s blood got mixed with the Mohra demon’s blood and he became human...

Would Angel have gone to Sunnydale to see her? Or called? 

WHAT WOULD IT HAVE BEEN LIKE?! Basically, is there any fic exploring that AU?

[laufire]

Since you were just talking about her, Buffy Summers for the character breakdown.

How I feel about this character. IRL I used to joke that I love Buffy Summers more than I love most people, and welp. There's a kernel of truth there lol. Buffy Summer is THEE character, the protagonist I measure others against.

All the people I ship romantically with this character. Mainly Angel, and Faith. Though there are many f/f rareships I find interesting or endearing (Tara, Willow, Cordelia, Drusilla, Kendra, Anya...) and would go for in fandom.

My non-romantic OTP for this character. DAWN. Bar none. It's actually my favourite relationship in the show. I like Buffy & Giles (and Buffy & Joyce) too, warts and all.

My unpopular opinion about this character. This made me realise I don't really know what's unpopular about her, because I've seen about every opinion under the sun when it comes to her lmao, and this is a giant fandom so they all have certain backing, even if they oppose the by-far most popular ones (i.e. shipping Spuffy, which I don't do despite finding the dynamic worth analysing).

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon. I wish we'd seen her find out about Xander's lie at the end of season 2. Not because I think it was going to be a reckoning (this is actually one of the few times in the show where I'm on Xander's side, even if his motives weren't 100% pure lol), but simply because... yeah, I would've liked to see that! Purely for me! To see Buffy react to it! I love seeing Buffy Having Emotions (because it makes ME Have Emotions) and I always want more of it.

[laufire]

I’ve not quite reached season 7 of my buffywatch but I’m curious to know your thoughts on Kennedy (yes I’m not there yet but I was spoiled on some of the beats of the season). It seems like what I can gather the consensus is that she’s a bitch but like she’s hardly alone in that. Is there something more meaningful that wouldve turned people off and what do you think of her?

I don't think I had in-depth thoughts about it, then or now, but I don't fall with the rest of the fandom on this. Out of all the potentials, I definitely liked Kennedy best, for one. She had the more distinctive, conflict-arising personality out of the lot, which is probably part of the reason she rubbed the fandom the wrong way. But as the meme goes, joke's on you, I'm into that shit.

Though the biggest reason she stuck out was surely her relationship with Willow, which... I get, in part (season 6's ending is very recent), but I also side-eye in some cases (some comments I saw back in the day had that good ol' homophobic stench lol. That's the problem with disliking any kind of less-than-completely-normative ship, there will always be bigots that agree with you lmao).

I also diverge from fandom in this. Kennedy/Willow is hardly my OTP, and if I had been the one put in charge of Willow's romance that season I might've chosen instead to go with an already established, uneasy dynamic (Faith, or Amy. Maybe Anya lmao), which is catnip to me.

But, although it's been a while since I watched it and the execution probably wasn't as perfect as it could've been, I think they made it work, especially as it was a ~last minute pairing. The show wasn't trying to sell it as the grandest of grand romances, or dismissing what Tara and Willow had and what Tara meant to her. It was about offering Willow... the future, if that makes sense? It was about showing things didn't have to end after such a tragedy. There could be light and joy and fun moving forward.

Also like. You gotta give Kennedy props. Her life is in shambles but she spies a Troubled Lesbian around and immediately shoots her shot? Respect.

[laufire]

Btvs

M/F OTP: Angel/Buffy. Obviously.

M/M OTP: ?

F/F OTP: Buffy/Faith.

OT3: Angel/Buffy/Faith.

Favorite Canon: other than Bangel, Tara/Willow or Dru/Spike.

Favorite Crack: Dru/Kendra thanks to my own plotbunnies lol (Kendra/a bunch of women, really). Also, Anya/Giles.

Guilty Pleasure: Tara/Willow a bit, I guess? But man I love them more and more each rewatch...

Pairing I Hate: quite a few make the cut but today I'm choosing to rage against Anya/Xander.

[laufire]

smallville clois or angel/cordelia

Clois by far. I may not think it's THEE ultimate version like so many do, but I enjoy it one hell of a lot when it's on my screen. Angel/Cordelia as an actual romance does NOT work for me, period. The comparison is very apt wrt their narrative position though, anon.

make me choose between any two things

[laufire]

willow or cordelia

hmmm. I like them both a lot (AND I see something of myself in both lol), but I'm going to go with Willow. Ultimately I find her journey more satisfying, flaws and all.

make me choose between any two things

[laufire]

Veronica mars or buffy summers

I love Veronica, I empathise with her above everyone else in her show, and I think she's a superb protagonist with a great journey. But all those feelings are increased tenfold when it comes to Buffy Summers 💖